


Will you make miso soup everyday?

by StormyGaddon



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Adult Struggles, Bonding, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Goro and Akira falling in love and short moments of their life together, Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, Light-Hearted, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Not Beta Read, One Shot, Post-Canon, Romance, Slice of Life, crushes to lovers, very slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:34:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29457549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormyGaddon/pseuds/StormyGaddon
Summary: Dressed still in only his socks, underwear, and a barely buttoned shirt, Goro paces the length of the small dressing room for the 18th time. Ann watches him silently, picking up his shoes from a nearby chair and placing them on the floor before sitting. She lays his suit jacket she had been holding across her lap before sighing. “You’re going to walk a hole into the floor at this rate,” she says.Goro never thought he'd find someone willing to spend their whole life with him.Akira Kurusu is willing to be that person.A slice of life fic showcasing some of the moments in Goro and Akira's lives throughout the years
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 15
Kudos: 131
Collections: Marigolds Discord Recs





	Will you make miso soup everyday?

**Author's Note:**

> This was a lot of fun to write!
> 
> Was trying to get this out in time for Valentines' Day and...it's only 11:14pm on the 14th, that still counts, right?
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!
> 
> Art collab with @kierumei on Twitter!!! She did some AMAZING art for this!!! Please check her out!

__

**July 2017**

Inaba is certainly both what Goro expected it to be and not what he expected it to be. Currently, he watched as Akira frantically searched his room for his spare yukata. The plan was to go to the summer festival that evening and wear said yukata, however…

Akira opens his door and yells down the hall, “Mom! Have you seen my other yukata?” He hears Akira’s mother say something back to him, but he goes back to reading his book instead, flipping through its old, worn pages. 

A few more minutes pass and Akira joins him on the bed, the yukata now draped over his lap. “Haven’t I seen you reading that book before?” Akira asks.

“It’s one of my favorites. It’s comforting” He places the book onto Akira’s nightstand, “Shall we get dressed then? The festival isn’t going to wait for us, after all.”

At the beginning of summer break, Goro had confessed that he’d never been to a summer festival before. His mother, having always worked in the evening, could never bring him, then he spent his remaining years in and out of foster homes. So, they agreed that Goro would spend a week at Akira’s house and they would go to the Inaba festival together. 

“Hey, that stand over there is selling takoyaki!” Akira points out.

“You know, I’ve promised myself I would never eat it again after that incident.” he sneers. Instead, he points out another stand, his mouth falling into a small o-shape and his eyes growing wide.

Akira follows his line of sight and sees what Goro is pointing at and nudges him. “You wanna play?”

Goro snaps out of his stunned silence and nods “I’ve always wanted to try this...if that’s okay?” Akira nods, taking Goro by the hand and dragging him over to the stall.

It’s mostly empty, but a few people kneel on the ground, all with small paper paddles trying to scoop fish into bags. Akira digs around for some yen, handing it over to the stall keeper who passes one of the paddles to Goro. 

Immediately, Goro begins eyeing which fish looks like it may be the best target. When he has it in sight, he digs his paddle in and scoops it up. But, to his horror, the paper in the middle breaks and the fish falls back into the water, swimming in circles around its mini pond. 

“Damn it!” Goro rolls ups the sleeves of his yukata, and with determination on his face, shoots Akira a glare “Give the man another hundred yen. I’m going to get this fucker, even if it kills me.”

Doing as he’s told, Akira laughs as he hands the man more money, but this time takes out his phone to film Goro attempting, and failing, to catch another fish. He goes between being too aggressive in his approach and too slow, never seeming to find the right balance in technique. 

It isn’t until his eighth try that Goro seems to realise that he’s been being recorded. He frowns, “You’re going to end up dropping that damn phone in the water. You better be careful, Kurusu.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve lived around the ocean my entire life and I haven’t done it yet.” he waves him off and hands the man money for another round. 

This time, as Goro is handed the paddle, a young girl taps him on the shoulder. He blinks a few times and looks over at her. “Mr.,” she says pointing at his hair, “I think you could do better if you could see the fishes.” 

Goro puts on the fake smile that he was all too used to, “Oh, I’m able to see quite well, trust me! I’m okay.’’ What was this brat going on about?

Regardless, she reaches up to one of her short ponytails and pulls out one of her hair ties. Goro goes to protest, seeing it already covered in the child’s hair. And, did she not have any manners at all? Before he can protest, the little girl is grabbing a fist full of his hair and pulling it back from his eyes.

When he looks down at his reflection in the water, he can’t say _it’s the worst thing_ he’s ever seen but...it certainly isn’t cute. She managed to pull most of his hair into a side ponytail, up and out of his eyes. But, he had to admit, the world was much clearer without hair in his eyes.

“Thank you,” he says.

“You’re welcome!” The girl holds up her bag of fish, three small goldfish swimming around the container. “I gotta go now. Have fun!”

Goro watches her run the few feet to her family, vaguely wondering what it would be like to have a family of his own like that someday.

Sure, as if that were to ever happen.

He looks back down, and he’s positive that the fish from before is mocking him. It was larger than the rest, with a distinctive black patch on its back. He takes a deep breath when it passes under and he slowly puts the paddle into the water and, to his surprise, it sits in his scoop. Quickly, he transfers it to the bag and ties it shut. 

“Nice!” Akira cheers, wrapping his arms around him. “You did it, Akechi!’

And Goro grins, standing and looking proudly down at his prize. He reaches out for Akira’s hand and walks side by side exploding the rest of the attractions. 

\---

It had only been a few days now, but the separation is killing him. Truly, he hasn’t expected to enjoy being in Inaba as much as he had. Or even realising how much he’d grown attached to Akira.

Goro swipes his thumb over his phone, watching as Akira’s name pops up on the screen. It’d become a ritual for him, each night staring down his name and trying to gain the courage to send out a text or call or _something._ It was a pathetic ritual, but not one he could bring himself to stop. Well, he could, if he wasn’t so weak.

He huffs and throws the phone down onto his bed. Maybe he could sleep away from his feelings instead. But as he closes his eyes, Akira’s face flashes before him. Goro sits up with a groan because obviously, this isn’t going to work either.

The only solution would be to admit his feelings, once and for all. He snatches his phone, typing out a quick text before he could talk himself out of it.

_Goro: I like you a lot, would you humor me on a date the next time you’re in Tokyo?_

Now he just needed to wait for a response.

One minute turns into five, turns into an hour, then Goro finds himself waking up the next morning still with no new messages from Akira. Had he done something wrong? Had he said something wrong? He may be overthinking it, but Akira was the type to always respond immediately. 

Goro chucks the phone into the corner, leaving it there as he paces around his apartment. Maybe he had misunderstood the last week, or maybe he was also overreacting? It could be an honest mistake that Akira hadn’t even seen his messages yet.

However, when three days pass and there is still no sign of Akira, Goro takes matters into his own hands and blocks the number instead.

\---

Akira wastes no time in getting his new phone set up. It has only been a few days since he dropped his old one in the ocean while fishing with Morgana. He had to laugh at the irony of how he’d just told Goro that he’d never done it before. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be too mad that he’d been unavailable that last few days.

And gosh, would it be nice to hear from him again. Three days without hearing from him, after seeing Goro every day, had been tortuous. 

He scrolls through his apps to make sure that everything is transferred over properly. A notification catches his attention and he flicks it open quickly. It was a text message.

From Goro.

Akira’s heart flips in his chest as he scans the text. It is short and to the point. And, he couldn’t believe it had been sent only about ten minutes after he nerfed his phone. What bad timing, huh?

Typing out a response proves impossible as his shaking fingers keep hitting the wrong letters. Screw it, Akira just needed to call. This was an in-person --or in voice?-- kind of situation anyway.

He holds his breath as he waits for the call to pick up.

_“The number you are trying to reach is unavailable, or may have been blocked.”_

Akira tries his number again, and again, and again. He calls, he texts, he even tries to facetime. Each time he gets the same message.

_“The number you are trying to reach is unavailable, or may have been blocked.”_

He spends the next few days in a stupor, calling and texting and trying not to cry each time it doesn’t go through. He refuses to acknowledge the number of times he does cry.

“Morgana...what’s going on? Did I do something wrong?” He rolls onto his side to face the wall as Morgana settles in under the blanket.

“He does like his privacy after all. This is the same person that waited months to tell you he was even alive. Maybe he just needs some space.”

Akira pulls out his phone again, and still, nothing from Goro. He checks his calendar app instead, and he sees he still has three days before the start of the new semester. His eyes widen, and he sits up suddenly, frantically typing at his phone as an idea comes to mind.

“Akira...Akira no you can’t be doing what I think you’re about to do.” Morgana hisses.

He presses his thumb to the _complete translation_ button for his round trip ticket and smirks “Too late. Looks like we’re going to Tokyo.”

And five hours later, that’s how Akira found himself outside of Goro Akechi’s apartment, oh so kindly provided to him by Futaba after she had hacked his phone and tracked it back to his complex. It would only cost him a trip later to Akihabara and a few rare feathermen figures she had her eyes on, but it was worth it. He made sure to visit her and leave Morgana with her so as to not bring over another guest that could frighten off Goro.

Akira walks around the complex, searching for the matching apartment that Futaba had told him belonged to Goro. He finally reaches it and, now overwhelmed by the fact that he’d never been here and he was inviting himself over unannounced, Akira feels a bit foolish in his plan.

However, he takes a deep breath and knocks at the door. He hears shuffling than the sound of a lock opening. Akira is greeted by red, puffy eyes that glare in his direction before the door is promptly shut in his face. “Go away.” Goro hisses.

“Can we talk?”

On the other side, there is silence, then his phone rings with a message.

Goro: _it’s open_

Akira tries the door, and it is indeed open. He lets himself in and sees Goro standing in his kitchen, hair tied up in a loose ponytail and an open carton of ice cream melting on the countertop. When he tries to take a step closer, Goro’s icy stare has him rooted in place. Well, they would just need to talk from six feet away then.

“Is there a reason you blocked me?” Akira asks.

“Is there a reason you ghosted me?” Goro snaps. He lifts himself onto the counter and picks up the ice cream, eating it straight from the tub.

It’s then that he fully takes in Goro’s appearance. He’s dressed in loose-fitting sweats and an old t-shirt, probably one that he’s had since he was a child honestly. During the entire time that he’d been staying with Akira, Goro had been sure to cover the deep circles under his eyes and the dusting of freckles on his cheeks. However, that wasn’t the case now and Akira felt the boy before him must have aged years by the way he slouched over and didn’t seem to give a damn about his appearance. 

“Ghost you? No, I dropped my phone in the ocean last week.” He responds lamely. “You know… as you warned me I might do.’’

Goro puts down the tub, sighing. “Your stupidity knows no bounds, does it Kurusu?”

Akira takes a few steps closer, testing the waters to see if Goro would react. When he doesn’t he stands opposite him. “Maybe it does, or maybe it doesn’t. Care to find out?” he winks at him and grins when Goro flushes. “I am back in Tokyo for the day. So, how about that date?”

“You’re impossible,” Goro groans, grabbing a near-by washcloth and chucking it at his face.” You show up at my apartment after not speaking to me for days. I thought I did something _wrong_ and pissed you off. And yet?” he shakes his head, rubbing his fingers along his temples “ _O_ _nly_ because you came all this way, I’ll look past it. Don’t expect the same sentimentally the next time you show up unannounced like this.”

“Next time I come back to Tokyo, it’ll be to live with you.” He teases. 

Goro shoves him, his face still red. “Can we take this one step at a time? For one, you haven’t even told me if you return my feelings.”

“Fine, fine!” Akira holds his hands up in defense then smacks his palms against Goro’s cheeks. “Darling Detective Prince, Goro Akechi. Do you take me to be your ungodly spontaneous, overwhelming affectionate, and hyperattentive boyfriend?”

Rolling his eyes, Goro huffs, “Sure, why not.”

* * *

**March 2018**

“Son of a --” Goro attempts to fix the elastic in his hair, but a light tug to it causes it to snap. His hair falls against his face and he rolls his eyes. He walks around a few boxes littering his new livingroom before he finds one labeled _‘bathroom stuff’_ and digs around for a new one. Beside him, Akira sets down another box labeled _‘Goro’s snob books’_ and takes a seat on top of it. Goro looks up and frowns when he sees Akira’s goofy grin. He pulls his hair up into a loose ponytail and turns to speak to him. “You know, these boxes aren’t going to move themselves.”

“No, but,” Akira moves to kneel beside Goro, pressing his hands to both his cheeks and softly squeezing them together “seeing you with your hair up like that is such an honor and a treat.”

Goro feels his face heat up and he shoves Akira away from him. “If you have time to flirt, you have time to get the rest of the boxes from the moving truck. Now, hurry up. I want to finish before it gets dark.”

“We only have a few boxes left anyway.” Akira mumbles, following after him. 

It doesn't take much longer to finish unloading the truck. Once they're sure everything has been picked up, Goro takes a seat on the couch closing his eyes. One year ago this wasn't where he would have seen himself. At most, he saw himself being in prison, at the worst possibly dead. Akira takes a seat at his side and he leans against Goro, falling into his lap and looking up at him.

“It's nice isn't it,” Akira says reaching up to brush his fingers against Goro’s cheek.

“ I mean,” Goro swats at his hand, “ it’s a place to live, I guess.”

But it was more than that. This would be their home. Together.

* * *

**August 2018**

Goro begins to think maybe domestic life isn’t suited for him. 

People would say that the honeymoon stage doesn’t last forever, and they certainly were right about that. Because now, Akira’s pointed stare is focused on him, and Goro is simply _having none of that_.

He forgot the dishes _one time_ , why is he throwing such a fit?

“You can’t be bothered to do _anything_ , can you Goro?” Akira hisses, crossing his arms against his chest. As he does so, Akira sways and has to reach out to balance himself. Dark circles line under his eyes, and Goro is sure that he hadn’t sleep in probably at least a week.

But so? What gave him the right to talk to him that way?

Was it the overwhelming amount of homework? Or how about exams to study? Maybe the part-time jobs? Well, sucks to suck because he had to deal with those things as well!

Unlike Akira, he didn’t have parents willing to help pay his rent and food bills, and he was forced to work to help support them and his studies. It wasn’t as if Goro was able to sleep these days either. He didn’t even go around shouting that chores weren’t finished. 

“I do all the cooking, the cleaning and-...” Akira pauses then sighs deeply. “Are you even _listening_ to me?” Akira snaps.

_Oh, that’s it-_

Without another thought, Goro crosses the room in only a few steps. He grabs Akira by the collar of his shirt, slamming his back against the wall. Akira’s eyes widen as he gasps, struggling to push Goro away. Goro raises his hand, swigging, then stopping mid-air.

Holy...shit….was he about to hit him?

Goro drops Akira, his hands shaking as he looks down at them then back to Akira. No, no he couldn’t have been about to hurt him. Right?

Instead of standing there any longer, he turns and leaves, locking himself in their bedroom. He drops to the floor with his knees pulled to his chest and presses his face into his hands. _What was he thinking? Raising a hand to him like that?_

The sheer look of fear on Akira’s face crushes him. 

After some time, Akira knocks on the door and his quiet voice can be heard on the other side. “I cooked dinner.” Goro doesn’t reply, only buries his face into his hands as the knock comes again. “I also made some tea.”

Goro sighs, leaving the room. When he opens the door, he’s face to face with Akira, red-eyed and sniffling. Neither says sorry, but merely eat dinner in silence before laying in bed, both crying once more on their respective sides before drifting to sleep. 

The next day, Goro makes it his top priority to start looking for a therapist. And within a week, he has his first appointment already booked. 

* * *

**December 24th, 2019**

Akira sits with his back against the arm of the couch and Goro’s head resting between his legs. He runs his fingers through his hair and is rewarded with a soft hum from Goro as he does. They’d spent the better part of an hour like this now, and Akira would be lying if he said his leg wasn’t falling numb by now. Morgana sleeps quietly in the space between Goro and the couch.

“We’re going to Destinyland for New Year’s again next week, do you wanna come with?” Akira asks but is given a soft, undistinguishable grunt in response. He looks away from the TV then down at Goro, whose eyes seem to be having trouble staying open. They open, flutter for a moment, then close again. “Maybe you should get some rest.” Akira lets his hand slide down his face.

“I’m enjoying this part.” Goro yawns, his hand barely holding on to the book as he lays it against his chest.

Akira takes it instead, careful not to lose Goro’s place. Goro closes his eyes and shifts onto his side. Adjusting the blanket around his boyfriend, Akira tucks it around him as he starts reading from the top of the page aloud. This one is special to Goro, he remembers, and Akira knows he’s seen him read it once every few months or so. Maybe one day he’d ask him about the importance of this beat-up featherman novel. 

He reads, not knowing if Goro is still awake or not. However, after a few pages, he looks down and sees the slow rise and fall of Goro’s shoulders and takes it as he’s fallen asleep. As best he can without waking him up, Akira reaches for the coffee table and places the book down before trying to make himself comfortable on the couch. He lets his head fall back against the back of the couch, even though he knows in the morning he will regret this.

* * *

**July 2nd, 2020**

Goro removes his shirt and flops onto their bed. Akira does the same, crawling out of his pants as well the moment his back hits their shared comforter. He looks to his side and sees that Goro has already taken his pillow into his arms and buried his face into it.

“Tired?” Akira asks.

“Your friends are draining.”

Akira makes his way across the bed and rests his legs on either side of Goro’s waist, sitting back onto him. He feels Goro react under him but quickly cuts him off before he’s able to say anything. “It’s been a while since I last gave you a massage, how about it?”

“Fine.” Goro places his head back into his pillow and doesn’t say a word more.

Akira starts with his shoulders, and just as he’d expected, they’re quite tense. He uses gentle pressure to rub down his shoulders, then down his back, before then going and doing both of his arms. Careful not to apply too much force, Akira slowly rubs the knots out of his boyfriend’s muscles as best he can. 

Goro makes a content sound once Akira begins rubbing the lower half of his back once again. “You’ve been working a lot,” Akira says as he makes his way down to Goro’s calf.

Goro turns his head in an attempt to face Akira “We’ve been severely understaffed as of late. Okumura may not be her father’s level of overbearing, but she runs the company on quite a short leash at times.”

Akira’s hands are on his feet now and a smile crosses Goro’s face as he lets his head rest on the pillow. “Maybe I could convince Haru to let her hardest working employee have some time off ” Akira snickers as he begins rubbing at his boyfriend’s sore feet.

“Hardest working? Sure. But I’m certain she still hates me.”

And with that, Akira flops down on the bed beside him, nose to nose, and is still grinning. “A strong dislike, maybe? But Haru doesn’t hate you.” Akira snakes his arms around Goro’s torso, pulling him closer. Goro rolls his eyes and closes the distance between them, pushing his face into Akira’s chest.

* * *

**August 2020**

If he had any choice in the job he leads, Goro would most certainly not work at Big Bang Fucking Burger. Okumura had been oh so kind enough to offer a job as a cashier back when he was starting in college, and _for some goddamned reason,_ he’d stayed long enough to make it to general manager. 

After five straight hours of more fake smiling than he’d ever had to do as the Detective Prince, Goro lets his cheeks finally rest as he heads to the breakroom. On the floor, he can hear his employees scrambling without his leadership, however, they’d have to manage without him for just a few minutes while he regained his sanity.

From his locker, Goro takes out the bento that Akira had packed for him the night before. He goes to eat, but as soon as he takes the lid off he sees a note sitting on top.

_Have a great day! Don’t kill anyone (again) -Akira_

Goro sighs, but smiles nonetheless. He takes the note out and opens his wallet, placing it there with the last few Akira had also snuck into his bento this week. The minutes count down to the end of his break and he pops a piece of fried chicken into his mouth.

He never really did ever thank Akira for always making his lunches. Maybe he could try learning a thing or two from him, and pack Akira a lunch one of these days? That is if he didn’t set their kitchen on fire first. Though...an egg salad sandwich should be easy enough...right? 

Goro picks up a tomato this time and places it in his mouth as one of his coworkers enters the room. He tries to pay her no mind, but she rounds the table and gasps “Akechi-San! Your lunch looks so cute. Did your boyfriend make that?”

These days, he’d long passed the Detective Prince facade and was thankful he could blend in nicely with the rest of the general public. Sure, it was nice having fans back then, but no one seemed to mind much that he’d used to be famous.

“Yeah,” Goro laughs, picking up a bit of egg “he did.”

* * *

**September 2020**

Akira: _:) I have something waiting for you when you get home_

Goro: _I won’t be home until after closing._

Akira: _But I bought something ~new~_

Goro:.. _.I’ll be home soon. I’ll find someone to cover._

It’d been a while since their last intimate moment. And, he’s a little more than excited to spend some extra time with Akira. Between studying, homework, and their jobs, they had barely a spare moment these days. Luckily, their apartment wasn’t far from Goro’s work, and he’s able to arrive back home within twenty minutes.

Anxious excitement churns in his stomach when Goro enters their home and he doesn’t immediately see Akira. Doing a quick 180 of the apartment, Goro has a sneaking suspicion he might find Akira in their bedroom and he grins.

However, when Goro enters, he nearly wants to throttle his moronic boyfriend the moment he lays eyes on him.

Akira is laying across the bed with his legs stretched out and head propped up with his hand. Normally, he’d think something like this was pretty hot, but not when his soon-to-be-ex boyfriend was wearing only mid-calf socks and matching underwear.

“Please…” Goro sighs, closing his eyes and rubbing at his temples “please don’t tell me this is why you made me rush home from work.”

Akira, still grinning madly, runs his hand down his bare chest. “What, don’t like what you see?” Goro looks back up to see him trying to keep his face composed, despite the fact he’s failing miserably. Akira sits up and crawls to the edge of the bed where another package sits. 

_No._

_No...Akira did not--_

“I got you a matching pair~” Akira is full-blown laughing now as he tosses the package to Goro. He catches and groans as he looks down at it. And, it’s even worse than he thought. Not only were they a matching pair of socks and underwear but…

“Did you have to get Morgana’s face on them too?” Goro asks, opening the package.

“Yep. And you’re going to join me.” Despite how much he wants to throttle Akira, Goro laughs, indulging in Akira’s stupid game and changes into them. 

He feels ridiculous, and he looks atrocious, but what’s a relationship without encouraging this man’s requests?

* * *

**December 31st, 2021**

“I can’t believe you’ve never been to Destinyland, Akechi-Kun,” Haru says. 

Goro shrugs “The opportunity doesn’t present itself much.”

“Well, I’m glad you could join this year. To be honest, you always turn down our request to join us. I was a little surprised you accepted.”

Goro picks at a plate of takoyaki that Haru had purchased for him. It was only the two of them watching the group’s belongings as everyone had rushed off to use the restroom before the fireworks show would begin.

It’s... awkward being alone with her.

Sure, it had been years since the _incident,_ but he wasn’t sure how willing she was to forgive him. Out of all of Akira's friends, her feelings towards him were the ones he was most uncertain about. He’d grown closer to Ann and Yusuke, and Ryuji and Makoto seemed to put up with him at the very least. He lived with Morgana and he seemed fine with him, and even Futaba went out of her way to have a sort of relationship with him. 

But Haru…

She’s harder to read. 

She sips a hot tea she’d gotten from the same shop as the takoyaki, her eyes locked on something in the distance. It wasn’t often they’d ever had moments where they were left alone. And that was probably for the best.

“If you’re wondering, I’m not upset with you,” Haru says.

“If that’s so, why do you find it so hard to say that directly to me?” He doesn’t mean for it to come off as hostile, though if it does, she does not comment on it.

Haru is silent for a moment, then turns to face him “I won’t lie and say it wasn’t difficult to look past what’s happened between us, but for Akira’s sake, I’ve been willing to accept you as someone special to him.” Then for the first time, he smiles at him, and after years of reading fake smiles himself, Goro knows this one is genuine. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, and many discussions with Akira as well. And what I mean to say is, we’ve all had time to grow and reflect. You’re not the same person as all those years ago, and I’ve learned to accept that.” 

Goro doesn’t know what to say to that and merely shoves another takoyaki into his mouth. It’s a bit hot and he nearly chokes, but he tries to keep a straight face, allowing Haru to keep speaking.

“I’m not sure if you know this, but none of us hold any ill will towards you. The others seem to rather like you now. I know it must be hard to think we wouldn’t hate you, but,” she pauses, smiling “ you’re one of us Akechi-Kun.”

Goro feels his lips tremble. Out of everyone here, he hadn’t expected that it would be Haru Okumura that would say such kind words to him. Maybe Ann, or the ever blunt Yusuke, but never Haru. He doesn’t realise his eyes have started tearing until the sound of the others’ approaching snaps him back to reality. 

Akira takes his bag back from Goro and slings it over his shoulder before kissing his cheek. Goro tries to smile, but when it falters, Akira looks worried and casts a glance at Haru. Akira goes to speak but Goro cuts him off instead “I was just speaking with Okumura, that’s all. Nothing to worry about.”

Akira nods, taking his hand. “Ready for some fireworks?”

Goro looks down at his hand then back up to Akira and nods.

For years now, the old phantom thief gang would invite him to spend New Year’s Eve at Destinyland, and every year he would say no. He would always encourage Akira to go without him, saying that he should have fun with his friends and that he would see him in the morning. Usually, Akira would try to protest that he’d stay behind or that Goro should go with him.

But not this time.

He’d refused to take no for an answer and instead encouraged Goro that they should spend the new year as a couple this time. Reluctantly, he agreed. And honestly? It was fun. 

They’d spend the day on various rides, trying foods, and Akira had even managed to convince him to do one of those ridiculous character photos. Sure, it was silly, but it made Akira happy.

Haru even arranged for a private booth for the entire gang. One that was separate from the general crowd below and allowed for a beautiful view of the castle and the fireworks show. It was magical and beautiful in every sense of the word. 

Akira places an arm around his waist and lets his head rest on Goro’s shoulder. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”

“It’s hard to believe I’ve never accepted until now.” The air is cold, but still, being next to Akira is warm. Leaning into him, Goro feels like a fool for waiting so long to accept their request. Outside, he can hear music coming over the loudspeaker and a countdown to midnight has begun. Everyone takes part in screaming the numbers as they ticked down and Goro decides to join in as well.

_10_

_9_

_8_

_7_

_6_

_5_

_4_

_3_

_2_

_1_

A chorus of _Happy Near Years!_ rings out among the group and outside the fireworks show sets off, bathing the night sky in hues of blues, greens, reds, and every other colour. When was it the last time he saw fireworks in person? High school? Junior high?

Akira still has his arm wrapped around him, then Goro notices everyone seems to have their eyes on the two of them. Goro catches sight of Ann with her phone out, giggling quietly, and it's pointed directly at him. He turns to ask Akira what the meaning of all this is when he’s met with the softest look he’s ever seen the man have.

Goro’s unable to breathe as he begins trying to put it all together.

The arm that had been pulling him close drops and Akira reaches into the pocket of his jacket. When his hand reemerges, he’s holding out a small box. Goro feels his hands shaking as he looks between the box and Akira’s face and his chest tightens.

“Goro Akechi,” Akira starts, taking one of his shaking hands and holding it tightly “we’ve been living together for a while now, and you know dating and…” Akira begins rambling, the hand holding the box shaking as he keeps speaking, “we’ve been through a lot...and....”

Akira lets go of Goro’s hand and attempts to open the box, however, his shaky hands-only manage to drop the band onto the floor. On instinct, Goro leans down to grab it and so does Akira, accidentally colliding heads with him.

The rest of the group snickers and Goro faintly hears Futaba whispering to someone _and these losers are the ones about to get married?_

Goro’s heart speeds up and he stands straight again.

Akira’s face is completely red as he holds out the ring to Goro. “I knew you’d be the one the moment you started quoting Hagel. I could see how nervous you were, like how even talking to someone your own age was uncomfortable. But, it was at that time that I realised _just how interesting_ you would be.

“You’re smart, stubborn, and so, _so,_ clever. Nothing ever gets by you, and every match of chess we played at Leblanc I found that more and more I never wanted to stop our little games.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about what a future with you will hold. Waking up to you every day, getting to fall asleep with you every night. Starting a family, maybe adopting a child of our own one day.

“I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you when--” Akira takes a deep breath, tears that had been welding up in his eyes now fall freely down his cheeks “w-when I thought I lost you and that I’d never see you again. God, I never knew how much I took for granted how much you meant to me until that moment.”

At this point, Goro doesn’t know if it’s his hand that’s shaking or Akira’s. Behind him, he can still see the fireworks show lighting up the night sky. 

Akira laughs, rubbing at his eyes with his sleeve. “You know, it wasn’t meant to be like this. I rehearsed this so many times.”

“Your sentiment is truly remarkable,” Goro responds, laughing back with him.

Akira removes Goro’s left glove and looks up to meet his eyes as he holds the ring between his fingers. “If you’ll have me, I would want to do all those stupid things you wanna do that I hate. I wanna go to all those stupid fancy cafes with the overpriced coffee even though you _know_ I can make it better. I don’t care what adventures will come in the future, as long as I’m able to do it with you, Goro.”

They’re both crying now and Goro attempts to choke back a sob as he nods wordlessly to Akira who shakingly pushes the ring onto his finger. “As we start this new year, I look forward to starting the next chapter of our lives,” Akira says.

“I love you, Akira Kurusu.” Goro whispers

“I love you too, Goro Akechi.”

Akira pulls Goro in closer and Goro places his hands on his fiance's cheeks. He leans in, pressing his lips to Akira’s not caring that all of their friends can see. He’s too happy to care.

* * *

**June 2022**

Goro slumps into the kitchen, loosening his tie before slipping down into one of the kitchen chairs. He leans forward, resting his head in his arms.

For the past few months, he’d been training with Sae Nijima and her team as an official member of the police force. Who knew _actually_ trying to solve these cases would require so much of his brainpower?

“Long day?” comes Akira’s voice from behind. He places their dinner at their usual spots, setting the table with chopsticks and drinks. 

“Just a bit. We got some new information on a case and I had to stay late reviewing it. Hopefully, I didn’t keep you waiting?” Goro lifts his head, but before he can look at Akira, hands are already at his shoulders and rubbing circles into them. It’s too easy to relax into it and he puts his head back down.

“Do you want to tell me about your day?”

“You know, you’re becoming a real housewife.”

“But, is that really a bad thing.” Akira leans down to wrap his arms around him. “Is there something else on your mind? You look stressed.”

Goro contemplates putting his face back in his arms because that would be easier than admitting to Akira what was bothering him. Akira’s nose presses against his neck and Goro concedes. 

“I’m scared, Akira,” he whispers. He can feel Akira tense against him, but he keeps going. “I know you talked about wanting a future with me, but, is that the right choice?” He leans into Akira’s touch and his eyes drift down to the ring settled on his finger. 

It’d been years now. Countless breakdowns and thinking he wasn’t worthy enough for Akira. Too many nights for him to even remember, crying himself to sleep in his lover’s arms because of the wrongs he’s done. It wasn’t that he didn’t think he was worthy now --that had been beaten into his brains enough times-- but he was unsure of where their future would lead them.

“I come home late. I’m always in a bad mood. I’m tired and all around irritable. I feel like I never have enough time for you, and I still have _so many problems_ to work through.” Akira combs his fingers through Goro’s hair as he keeps talking. “You’ve told me so many times now that we should adopt after we’re settled and I just...I don’t think I can do it.”

“We don’t have to if you don’t wan--..”

“ _I want to!”_ Goro snaps. He takes a deep breath before going on. “I want to so badly. I want to raise a family with you. I want to give someone the life I couldn’t have when I was a kid. And _I want to do it with you.”_

Silence falls between them for a moment before Goro finds the strength to keep going. “But I’m just so majorly fucked up still, Akira. How am I supposed to raise a kid? I don’t even know where to begin.” Goro pauses long enough to sit back up and face Akira. “ What do I do if I mess up?” he chokes. 

“You won’t be alone,” Akira says, “ I’ll be right there beside you. We’ll learn from the mistakes our parents made, and I’m sure we’ll make some mistakes of our own. But, Goro?” Akira takes a seat beside him, smiling gently as he reaches across and takes his hand. “You’re going to make a wonderful father.”

Goro takes his chopsticks and is silent for a moment, pushing his food around before he finally takes a bite. Akira does the same, eating with him in silence and Goro can only wonder what’s on his mind. 

* * *

**_Present Day_ **

Dressed still in only his socks, underwear, and a barely buttoned shirt, Goro paces the length of the small dressing room for the 18th time. Ann watches him silently, picking up his shoes from a nearby chair and placing them on the floor before sitting. She lays his suit jacket she had been holding across her lap before sighing. “You’re going to walk a hole into the floor at this rate,” she says. 

Goro stops, combing his fingers through his hair. “Ann, what am I doing?” He leans back against a wall, sliding down and putting his head in his hands. He takes a few deep breaths, and when he looks back up, Ann is now kneeling in front of him. 

She takes his hands, “Goro, look at me, okay?” He does, letting his head fall back against the wall as he does so. “Just think about everything that got you to this point. Think about why you love him.”

_Why he loves Akira?_

_No, he doesn’t love that idiot. He hates him and everything he stands for._

_How he so selflessly helps everyone around him._

_How he never gives up on anything he tries._

_How much he always,_ always, _made sure to tell Goro how much he loved him._

A few deep breaths turn into desperate gasps as his anxiety rises once again. The room spins and he closes his eyes in a vain attempt to ground himself. When that only makes him feel worse, he opens them only to see Ann’s worried look. “Is it too late to be a runaway bride?” He jokes. 

_Thirty minutes until the wedding. Thirty._ And he’s slumped on the floor in his underwear, too afraid of the next steps. This shouldn’t be real, he shouldn’t be here. What could Akira have possibly been thinking when he asked this of Goro? 

“Mm...not too late, but you did already pay for the venue. Might as well get your money’s worth.” She laughs, pulling him to his feet.

“Ann, what if he’s made a mistake?” With both hands, Goro covers his face, groaning and rubbing his temples. 

“Listen, Akira does stupid stuff all the time, you know? But I’m sure this isn’t one of them.” When he looks back to Ann, he notices that her hair is fully done, but she’s yet to even finish applying all her makeup, probably too busy trying to help him calm down enough to finish getting ready himself. “I’ve never seen Akira as happy as when he’s with you, okay? So let’s get you dressed and out there!”

And they do. Goro manages to get his suit fully on in record time while Ann finishes applying the rest of her make up. She attempts to quickly style his hair before rushing him out into the courtyard. With a quick _you’re going to do great,_ she shoves him forward then disappears behind some foliage to await her turn to present herself. Goro tries not to look at anyone as he takes his place at the altar, knowing that if he does, he’ll most likely faint.

With nowhere else to look, Goro checks the time on his watch.

3:59 pm

Goro takes one last, long breath and finally surveys the guests, shifting from foot to foot as he does so.

Futaba gives him a small thumbs up from her seat. Beside her is Yusuke merely wiping at his eyes already with a handkerchief. In an opposite row sits Sae, Makoto, and Haru who smile warmly up at him. Ann and Ryuji are missing from the group, both now accompanying Akira no doubt, before they make their entrance. 

At four exactly, everyone grows silent as soft jazz begins filling the courtyard. It begins softly, barely audible, slowly crescendoing until the slow melody can be heard by everyone. 

They’d chosen this song together. It’d been the first live show they’d seen together all those years ago at Jazz Jin. 

_People come and they go_

_Some people may stay with you though_

_I am all alone tonight and I kept on_

_Asking myself questions_

Ryuji and Ann enter the courtyard. Ann, dressed in a deep crimson dress that reaches down to her ankles with Ryuji in a matching red and black suit. They’re linked at the arms as they walk down the aisle together. Behind them walks Morgana, his normal yellow collar now replaced with a bow tie also matching Ryuji and Ann’s attire, and two glistening rings dangling from it.

_Conceited I was at time_

_I never really doubted myself_

_But tonight got me thinking about it all_

_if I am the fool or whatnot_

Once the trio reaches the altar, Ann picks Morgana up and holds him against her chest and Ryuji takes his place opposite Goro. To his right are Anna and Morgana and he does his best not to faint when three more figures enter the courtyard and he lays eyes on Akira for the first time. 

_I do not_

_regret with my choices I'm rather proud_

_ooh yet I know I won't change_

_anything_

_because I can only be me so_

To Akira’s left stands Sojiro. He also has one arm hocked under Akira’s arm and looking like he is close to tears as he walks his pseudo-son towards the altar. 

And to Akira’s right stands a man several inches taller than Akira, but also his near doppelganger. He’d met Akira’s father several times, but it never shocked him how much they resemble one another. 

_How can I be so sure?_

_at a crossroads, I'm afraid too_

_But I can't let fear get the best of me_

_Someone once said burn my dread_ _babe_

The trio walks far too slowly for Goro’s liking. As much as he was happy to be here today, he knows he’s sweating bullets under his suit. Once they finally reach the altar, Akira’s father and Sojiro speak their parting words before joining their families in the audience.

_Who knows what tomorrow holds?_

_just wanna live my life the way I want_

_what fills up my soul is passionate_

_music that makes me want to sing_

Akira ascends the stairs and Goro takes in everything about him. From the black suit, deep red tie, and grey button-up that contrasts his own white and gold suit. It vaguely reminds Goro of their old phantom thief outfits. They must have both have had the same idea then. However, what stands out to him the most are those damn fake glasses. Goro almost wants to grab them off his face.

_my story will be starring me just like yours ooh ooh_

_who knows when will it end_

_what matters most is how you bring joy to life so_

Akira takes Goro’s hands in his own and Goro laughs, trying to shake the nerves. “I thought I said not to wear the glasses.”

“Oh, are we going to have our first fight on our wedding day?” Akira teases.

Goro takes a step closer to Akira and he can’t believe this is real. The words go in one ear and out the other from the orator, that is until it comes to the vows. Akira reaches into his pocket, pulling out a card that he begins to read from.

“Goro, my love and biggest rival. When I first met you, I never thought that we would end up here, but I can’t say that I’m shocked. You have done nothing but surprise me at every turn, support me, and you’ve been the only brain cell in this relationship for the last seven years.

“I still remember the first time we stayed the night at your apartment. When I snuck out of Leblanc,” He looks to the audience and smiles sheepishly, “ Sorry Boss. You told me you’d cook us dinner, and we ended up having to call the fire department. How you set a pot on fire, I’ll never know, but it led us to find that really good take-out place down the street.

“It was after that I promised that I would do all the cooking, or else I assumed you’d starve. And here we are all these years later, and you can _sort of_ make miso soup and rice for breakfast. And I do appreciate the occasional egg bentos too. So at least there is some improvement.” Akira pauses and everyone begins chuckling.

“I promised then, and I still promise to always do the cooking, especially on those days when you come home and you’re so tired you can barely move. I promise that we’re going to move forward into the future in all of our endeavors together. And most of all, I promise I’ll always be your faithful rival.

“We’re going to have problems, but I swear to you that we will always work them out. I’ll be here for you no matter what. For as long as I’ll live, we will continue to carve this path for ourselves.” 

Akira’s fierce, grey eyes lock onto his own and that notorious Joker smirk spreads across his face. “I want to hear you say it aloud. What do you intend to do?”

Goro pauses, and he almost has to laugh at the irony of it.

“I won’t wait a moment longer." Akira whispers, loud enough for only Goro to hear him. "Answer me.”

With firey determination to match Akira’s heartfelt vow, Goro begins his rebuttal.

“Akira, the ultimate pain in the ass, the foil to all my actions. You can never do anything half-heartedly, and you always put everyone above yourself no matter who they are. You’re the kindest, courteous, and most madding individual I’ve ever had the pleasure of coming into contact with. And every single day with you has been an adventure in its own right.

“For that, I respect you greatly. How you’re able to handle every unfortunate circumstance that comes your way, like that time you got food poisoning from eating the leftovers I told you to throw away. And your uniqueness, there isn’t a single damned thing that you aren’t able to do.” Goro reaches up and gently strokes Akira’s face, trying his best not to tear up as he does so. “And your ability to surpass me at any given opportunity. These are all things I absolutely love about you.

“You’ve given me hope, and shown me that every life is worth living. Without you, I don’t know if I would truly, honestly, be able to exist. In every sense of the word, Akira Kurusu, you complete me. And I promise to you, I will never, ever, let our fire burn out. Our light will always burn bright. 

“A life worth living is worth living to its fullest. And I swear to you on this day, that is exactly what I plan to give you. A life you’ll love, a life that will make others jealous, a life so beautiful that it could wish whole worlds into existence. I swear all this to you if you are to have me.”

Goro never takes his eyes off of Akira who’s lips quiver, and tears now streaming down his cheeks.

“Do you, Akira Kurusu, take Goro Akechi to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

Akira nods, his voice coming out shakily as he speaks loudly enough for the entire courtyard to hear. “I do.”

“And do you, Goro Akechi, take Akira Kurusu to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

Holding back tears still, Goro presses his forehead to Akira’s, and even with a microphone close enough to pick out their words, he’s still not sure everyone could hear him as he whispered out the words. They’re soft, barely audible as he mouths back, “I do.”

* * *

**Several Years Later**

**Epilogue**

Sitting crossed-legged on the floor, Goro yawns loudly as he flips to the next page in the book he’s reading aloud. An old book, one that his mother had given to him from a second-hand shop when he was young. He couldn’t be sure of the exact date of the book, however, if going by the copyright mark on the book, Goro would put it around 1989. 

Its pages had long since yellowed, and he, himself, must have read the book at least a hundred times in his lifetime by now. However, Goro reads from the book not for himself this time, but another.

“One more page, dad?” comes the voice of a sweet, young child tucked peacefully in his bed.

Goro closes the book and shakes his head. “That’s enough for one night, Kento. You wouldn’t want to finish the whole book so quickly, would you?” 

Kento crosses his arms and huffs. “Fine, but I wanna hear more tomorrow, okay?”

“Mmhm, now, get some sleep, sweetie.” Goro pulls the blanket up to his son’s chin, tucking it in around him. At first, Kento protests, but slowly closes his eyes as Goro strums his fingers along his hair.

“Dad?” Kento mumbles, nearly on the verge of sleep.

“Yes?”

“After we finish the Featherman book, can you tell me how you and Papa met?” 

The question takes Goro off guard for a moment, but he answers nonetheless. “Yes, of course. Now, you need to get to sleep and we will worry about that another time. Okay?”

Kento lets out a yawn this time, nodding.

When Goro gets up, he turns to leave the room but sees Akira standing there, leaning against the doorway, with the goofiest grin on his face. Goro goes to walk past him but is instead pulled into an impossibly tight embrace. 

Akira’s cold nose presses into his neck and Goro hisses. “Why do you always have to do that?”

Akira kisses his neck instead, all the way up to his lips. “Because I love you, _Dear~, ”_

Goro groans. “You know how I feel about pet names.”

“You let me do it on our wedding night!” Akira teases.

“I let you have your fun back then. You got one time.”

“So, what do you say we relive our wedding night,” Akira whispers into his ear.

The words send a chill up Goro’s spine and he wraps his arms around Akira’s neck, smirking. “Plan to carry me over the threshold of our bedroom then?”

Akira scoops Goro into his arms, and it appears that he plans to do just that. He walks them both to the bedroom, pushing open the door with his foot and dropping Goro onto the bed.

“What? Not dying to ravish me?” Goro reaches out with his foot, pressing it against Akira’s chest.

Akira takes it and begins tickling the sole of his foot, earning a kick to the face in return. “You know, I’m not quite as spry as I used to be.” He falls onto the bed next to Goro, pulling him into his arms.

Goro snuggles in close, smirking. “Lemme guess, that’s code for _it was my intent to do just that, but I’m stupid and forgot my husband and I are too old for the newlywed thing and I stupidly threw my back out with that stunt._ Or, am I wrong?”

Akira whines. “You may be a little bit correct.”

“Or a lot a bit.” Goro corrects.

Akira closes his eyes, “Goro?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re an excellent father by the way.” 

Goro rolls his eyes, turning onto his side to wrap himself around Akira, “Of course I am. There should never have been any doubt otherwise.” When he’s sure that Akira’s fallen asleep, Goro slips out of the bed. He’s quiet as he walks about the house, going to check on his eight-year old son one more time before bed.

He pokes his head into the room and has to hold back a laugh as he sees the soft glow of a light shining under Kento’s blanket. So, he had only been pretending to sleep, is that it?

Well, what good was being a phantom thief if he was no bad at sneaking around? 

Goro tip-toes into the room and sits on the floor beside the bed before quickly pulling the blanket off. And just as he’d suspected, Kento is holding a flashlight and attempting to read the old feathermen book. “This book is a bit advanced for you, maybe we could spare a few more minutes and read an extra chapter, how’s that?”

In the dim light, Goro can see Kento’s face light up as he crawls off the bed and into Goro’s lap. “Alright, where were we? Ah, that’s right, Feather Red and Feather Black were just having a discussion…” He opens the old book, and just as his mother used to do to him, reads the book until his son is fast asleep in his arms.


End file.
